NNSA Administrator: FY2011 Budget a "Direct and Tangible Display" of Commitment to Nonproliferation

WASHINGTON, DC – In his first public remarks since the President's FY2011 Budget Request was sent to Congress on Monday, National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Administrator Thomas D'Agostino called it a "direct and tangible display of the President's commitment to this mission, and a demonstration of the critical role NNSA plays in implementing the President's unprecedented nuclear security agenda."

Speaking to an Institute of Nuclear Materials Management (INMM) workshop on the upcoming Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) review conference, Administrator D'Agostino said the $2.7 billion President Obama requested for nonproliferation programs – up 25.8 percent from FY2010 – support strengthening global nonproliferation efforts by bolstering NNSA programs that play a critical role in meeting the President's goal of securing vulnerable nuclear material within four years.

D'Agostino also highlighted the connection between strengthening NNSA's infrastructure and strengthening nuclear nonproliferation efforts. As D'Agostino noted, "the same state-of-the art facilities and highly trained and motivated people that allow us to maintain our arsenal without testing also help meet the President's goal of securing vulnerable nuclear materials world-wide in the coming years."

The following are excerpts of Administrator D'Agostino's remarks as prepared for delivery (the full text can be found here):

ON THE EMERGING CONSENSUS IN WASHINGTON: "Between Vice President Biden's op-ed in the Wall Street Journal on Friday, and the President's budget request on Monday, I believe that we are reaching a critical juncture. We are beginning to see what the Vice President called ‘an emerging bipartisan consensus' on a path forward for our nuclear security strategy. The President's budget request reverses the decline in support for the nuclear security enterprise, which will enable us to implement the ambitious agenda he laid out in his Prague speech."

ON THE CONNECTION BETWEEN STRENGTHENING THE NNSA & STRENGTHENING THE NPT: "These goals – investing in our nuclear security infrastructure and strengthening the NPT – are intertwined. The same state-of-the art facilities and highly trained and motivated people that allow us to maintain our arsenal without testing also help meet the President's goal of securing vulnerable nuclear materials world-wide in the coming years. They are critical to maintaining our ability to track and thwart nuclear trafficking, verify weapons reductions, and to develop tomorrow's cutting-edge technologies for our security and prosperity."

PRESIDENT OBAMA'S BUDGET REQUEST: "Overall, the NNSA nonproliferation budget increases nearly 26% over FY2010 – a direct and tangible display of the President's commitment to this mission, and a demonstration of the critical role NNSA plays in implementing the President's unprecedented nuclear security agenda…I applaud the President for his leadership on these issues and look forward to working with Congress to get this budget passed."

ON SECURING VULNERABLE NUCLEAR MATERIAL: "President Obama's FY2011 Budget Request makes clear that the United States will do its part. It includes a 67 percent increase our Global Threat Reduction Initiative to accelerate the removal and disposition of high-priority vulnerable nuclear material overseas and convert additional HEU-fueled research reactors to the use of less proliferation-sensitive low enriched uranium fuel. It requests a 10 percent increase in Nonproliferation and Verification R&D funding, expands security and detection programs of our Second Line of Defense and Megaports programs, and enhances efforts in safeguards, export control, and our other nonproliferation programs."

ON STRATEGIC ARMS REDUCTIONS: "Under President Obama's leadership, the United States is demonstrating concrete progress towards the goal of a world without nuclear weapons, while continuing to emphasize the critical importance of a stable, reliable international nonproliferation regime to further disarmament success. For this reason, the United States is taking steps to reduce both the numbers and the role of nuclear weapons in our national security strategy, and urge other nations to do the same."

Established by Congress in 2000, NNSA is a semi-autonomous agency within the U.S. Department of Energy responsible for enhancing national security through the military application of nuclear science in the nation's national security enterprise. NNSA maintains and enhances the safety, security, reliability, and performance of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile without nuclear testing; reduces the global danger from weapons of mass destruction; provides the U.S. Navy with safe and effective nuclear propulsion; and responds to nuclear and radiological emergencies in the U.S. and abroad. http://www.nnsa.energy.gov/index.htm